Laminate Flooring in Kitchens

Installing laminate flooring in kitchens will take more time than installing laminate in a square room. There is a lot more cutting involved when going around cabinets. Most often there are appliances that need to be moved. Dishwashers that take extra time. Refrigerators that may have ice maker lines. Sometimes you may have to adjust the height of the stove so it is level with the counter tops.

The one drawback for laminate flooring is liquid. If liquid sets on the joint of laminate flooring too long it will seep down into the joint and swell up. Or if something leaks, such as a ice maker water line or a toilet water line the water can get under the laminate and cause the joints to peak up and swell.

The best way to prevent this is to make sure your water connections are secure when installing the laminate flooring. Other ways to prevent water damage is to put throw rugs in front of bath tubs, sinks and even in front of refrigerators that have water and ice dispensers.

Sometimes just rolling a refrigerator out that has an ice maker line attached in the rear will cause it to start leaking. Believe me I have seen this happen enough times. The same goes for removing a toilet. When disconnecting the line to the toilet it may not be the same when reattached (meaning it might leak). Even the connection between the toilet bowl and the tank can be disturbed when moving it. The rubber washers between the tank and bowl may have to be replaced.

Installing Laminate in Kitchens

Most of the time when I install laminate flooring in kitchens I prefer to leave the appliances in the kitchen. Mainly because it can be more of a hassle to try and take them out of the room. For instance trying to find a place to put them. With refrigerators if the ice maker line is long enough, I leave them attached so there is a lesser chance of a leak when disconnecting them. I do not like to move the appliances any further than I have to.

What I do is to install the laminate up to the appliances and then move the appliances onto the laminate flooring.

In this photo I moved the frig over to the left first and installed the laminate where the frig will sit. Notice the ice maker line is still connected.